“There is no health without mental health”, says the psychologist Mercedes Bermejo Boixareu, who advocates Psychology to help us understand how our minds work and improve the quality of life.
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, April 7, Mercedes Bermejo Boixareumember of the Governing Board of the Official College of Psychology of Madrid, writes an article on the contribution of Psychology to mental health:
World Health Day is celebrated every April 7 to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. This marked date is an opportunity to raise awareness of global health issues and encourage healthy habits. health in our communities, in recognition of health as a basic and universal right.
This year we want to put the focus of Health Day on the subject of mental health, since we know that there is no health without mental health.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, mental health has become a more critical issue than ever. Health problems in the mental sphere present various alarming data from both the epidemiological and recording and classification points of view.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), more than 264 million people worldwide suffer from anxiety disorders, and more than 300 million suffer from depression. Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased stress and anxiety around the world.
According to the report of Fundamed (2021), “almost 3 million people have a diagnosis of depression in Spain, which makes it the most prevalent mental illness in our country.” In addition, the risk of suicide is a public health problem of interest that has worsened due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Mental health is an essential component of our general well-being, as it affects our ability to lead full and satisfying lives, as well as our personal and professional relationships. However, mental health is often neglected and underestimated.
Mental health and psychology in Primary Care
Our Spanish Constitution recognizes the right to health, taking into account that one in four consultations that are carried out in primary care have a mental health cause.
Because we know that it is essential that psychology is more present in Primary Care, in Public Health, and transversally in all areas that require the assessment and intervention of mental processes.
The Psychology in Primary Care (PsicAP) project aims to promote evidence-based psychological treatment for emotional disorders in primary care.
Psychology and mental health are areas that can help improve people’s quality of life, where psychology is the science that studies human behavior, including the mental, emotional, and social processes that influence our actions and thoughts.
Psychology can help us understand how our minds work and how we can improve our quality of life. The application of this profession provides us with tools and techniques to better manage stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.
In addition, psychology can help us improve our personal relationships, our self-esteem, our state of mind, and our resilience. One way that psychology can improve our quality of life is through psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a process in which a person works with a psychological professional to resolve emotional or psychological problems.
But there are multiple ways in which psychology can improve our quality of life: through educational psychology, work psychology, sports psychology, social intervention, legal psychology, health psychology, neuropsychology psychology, clinical psychology… applying psychology to different areas of intervention with the ultimate goal of improving our mental health, quality of life, and therefore health.
Because we know that psychology is a science, and it can help citizens in its different fields of application, helping to better understand how our minds work and how we can take care of them. By learning about mental health, we can gain skills and tools to better manage stress, anxiety, and other emotional issues.
Also, by better understanding mental health, we can be more compassionate and understanding of people who are struggling with mental health issues.
In conclusion, mental health is essential for our general well-being, and therefore for our health, and psychology can help us improve our quality of life.